Mumbai might be having a 24 hours uninterrupted power supply but the scenario is very different in other regions of the country. Load shedding is prevalent in various districts of Maharashtra there by affecting the industrial development of the state. On one hand, the various parts of the state are facing power cuts several units of electricity are being wasted in Mumbai. Often citizens have complained about the excessive power consumption in Mumbai which is creating a huge disparity between the city and other regions of the state. But then authorities are turning a blind eye towards this issue.
The scenario is no different in my flat where roommates waste electricity. Often they fail to switch off the fan when the devices are not in use. Sometimes the fan keeps working even when nobody is present in the room. Most of them charge their mobiles but don’t unplug after the battery gets fully charged. They operate washing machines but don’t turn it off after the clothes are washed. Television is being switched on for the entire day even though nobody is watching it. Even laptops are being charged for longer duration despite battery getting fully charged. As a result of this, there has been a huge increase in power bill which all of us have to pay.
Sadly, nobody understands the importance of saving power. These people will only learn if they have to work in some remote location of the state which witness power cuts. Several campaigns are being held across media asking people to switch off fans, lights and other devices when they are not in use. But they seldom follow it. They will only understand the value of a thing when it is unavailable.
Maharashtra faces a shortage of 1500 to 2000 MW of power, with as much as 50 per cent of power is being lost due to theft or collection problems. Several parts of the state have 8 to 10 hours of load shedding. Load shedding results in disruption of lifestyle, loss of production and causes inconvenience to customers.
Large number of illuminated hoardings is visible across the city and suburbs. Posters of political parties running a campaign, or a company advertising their new product, TV channels promoting their show and so on, aren’t just spoiling the face of the city but also wasting electricity. Each hoarding in Mumbai has around three to six halogen lights on an average for the usual sizes. These lights consume a good amount of electricity. How can one afford to consume so much electricity when other regions of the state are facing power shortage? Farmers of Maharashtra have been experiencing load-shedding for eight hours a day. Thus people need to take steps to save electricity otherwise they might witness power shortage in the future. Children need to be taught about the importance of saving power. Finally, citizens need to become more responsible and unplug appliances when they are not using them.
